Here’s How Apple Has Been Pricing iPhones Over Past 10 Years

09 Oct 2017

Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple and arguably its most prominent innovator, was the one who introduced the world to the iPhone in 2007. Not only did the iPhone usher us in the smartphone era but changed how the world looked at phones.

Though Apple has been slacking off in the innovation department for the past few years and has even at times played catch-up with its competitors, they have always maintained the gold standard when it came to quality.

Another aspect that has remained unchanged is how Apple has been pricing their iPhones. Apple boss Steve Jobs stated when he first launched the iPhone that this was a refined product that is meticulously made and had extensive research put behind it.

This is how Apple justifies their premium pricing of their iPhones over the last ten years.

iPhone (2007)

When Steve Jobs introduced the world to this technological marvel of a device, the smartphone industry changed forever. The iPhone was the first phone to feature a full capacitive touchscreen, replaced navigation buttons with scrolling, and removed the physical keyboard for an onscreen QWERTY display. It was priced at $499 for the 4GB variant. However, it never launched in India.

iPhone 3G (2008)

This was the iPhone edition that really saw Apple’s fortunes take off. Though the first iPhone showed potential, it was lagging behind in network speed and the iPhone 3G solved that issue. The prices of iPhone 3G started at $199 for the 8GB variant and it was the first iPhone to launch in India with a price tag Rs 31,000.

iPhone 3Gs (2009)

With this version, Apple began introducing the ‘s’ to their names that essentially meant speed. This was also the first iPhone to introduce video recording capabilities and voice control that was not named Siri yet. It’s price began at $199 again for the 16GB and cost Rs 35,500 in India.

iPhone 4 (2010)

The iPhone 4 was a big step for the company and the design got a makeover over the 3Gs. It was the first iPhone with a front camera and offered to multitask to an extent. The iPhone 4 was priced at $199 for 16GB and came to India at Rs 34,500.

iPhone 4s (2011)

The iPhone 4s did not offer much improvement in terms of specifications but what it did was improve on its software. The Voice Assistant was named as Siri and was introduced along with iOS 5.0. The price of the iPhone 4s started from $199 for the 16GB variant and cost Rs 44,500 in India.

iPhone 5

This variant was again a big effort on Apple’s part. They added a bigger screen to this edition, which fit extra icons, and the phone came in an aluminum casing. The 16GB variant was priced at $199 and would later be launched India at Rs 45,500.

iPhone 5C and iPhone 5s (2013)

This was the year when Apple began launching two variants of iPhones at the same time. While iPhone 5c was essentially a rebranding of the iPhone 5 but with new colors, the iPhone 5s introduced the Touch ID and had a slightly revamped look.

The price of iPhone 5c started at $99 for the 16GB variant and the iPhone 5s cost around $199 for the 16GB variant. These came to India and had a starting price of Rs 41,900 for the 16GB iPhone 5c and Rs 53,500 for the 16GB iPhone 5s.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (2014)

Apple revamped their design again with the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. It brought in a larger screen, NFC support for Apple Pay, and a significantly better camera. The iPhone 6 16GB was priced at $199 and the iPhone 6 Plus 16GB at $299. These were launched in India at a price of Rs 53,500 and Rs 62,500, respectively.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus (2015)

The iPhone 6s and the 6s Plus didn’t offer anything new in terms of design and had few changes in the software. The most prominent feature that was introduced was the 3D Touch. The 16GB variants of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus were priced at $199 and $299, respectively, and came to India at a price of Rs 62,000 and Rs 72,000.

iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone SE (2016)

Apple played the catch-up game with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus and introduced water and dust resistance, dual cameras (on the iPhone 7 Plus), and a better battery life. The iPhone SE was a special edition, which had a look similar to that of the iPhone 5 and was targeted at customers from the lower price bracket.

The iPhone 7 32GB was priced at $649 and the iPhone 7 Plus 32GB at $769. The prices in India started at Rs 60,000 and Rs 72,000, respectively. The iPhone SE 16GB was priced at $399 and launched in India at Rs 39,000.

iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X

Apple recently launched its iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the anniversary edition, the iPhone X, yesterday and took everyone by surprise with their specs and price ranges. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were basically upgrades over the predecessor with wireless charging and dual cameras on the iPhone 8 Plus.

But iPhone X took things to a whole new level with its bezel-less display, Face ID, and redesigned look. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have been priced at $699 and $799 (Rs 64,000 and Rs 73,000), respectively.